Shadow the Hedgehog
Shadow the Hedgehog is an anti hero and the arch rival of Sonic the Hedgehog. Created as "The Ultimate Life Form" by Professor Gerald Robotnik, Shadow is indestructible, however that doesn't mean that he does not feel pain. Shadow is ageless as well. Since his debut, Shadow has appeared in a multitude of games, television shows, and comic books. His past was almost a complete mystery until the game Shadow the Hedgehog revealed the events surrounding his creation. In contrast to Sonic, Shadow is typically portrayed as a tortured anti-hero, or a renegade who can just as easily serve the forces of evil as those of good. Though lately, he has done absolutely no evil, only good, making him a hero. However, he does what he needs to do to accomplish what he knows to be right. So overall, Shadow could be considered a die-hard hero. According to an official poll, Shadow is the second most popular character in the series, second only to Sonic himself. History Shadow debuted in the game Sonic Adventure 2 as one of three playable "dark" or "villainous" characters, alongside Rouge the Bat (who also debuted in this game) and Doctor Eggman. Dr. Eggman set Shadow free from a G.U.N. base on Prison Island, where he had spent 50 years imprisoned. In exchange, Shadow agreed to aid the doctor in his plans to take over the world; holding his true intentions as wishing to get revenge for the death of his friend, Maria Robotnik. To achieve this, Shadow revealed the Eclipse Cannon to Dr. Eggman, blowing up half of the moon in demonstration. In a twist of fate, Shadow ultimately aided Sonic when realizing Maria's true wish with the help of Amy Rose, which was to save humanity. In Last story, Eggman inserts the final Chaos Emerald, only to initiate a destabilization program on the ARK. Gerald Robotnik then revealed that he had made this function to have revenge for Maria, and that the ARK would destroy the Earth. Meanwhile, Sonic and Knuckles had reached the Central Core, where they reactivated the Biolizard. Notably, a scene from Gerald Robotnik's diary appeared. After Shadow defeated it, Knuckles used the Master Emerald to stop the Chaos emeralds. But the Biolizard, being the prototype of Project Shadow, used Chaos Control to fuse with the ARK, continuing its fall. Then, as Super Sonic and Super Shadow, they destroyed the Biolizard (the Ultimate Life form prototype), having become a monster code-named Finalhazard, and using their pooled energies, executed an enhanced Chaos Control which stopped the fall. Afterward, Shadow fell to the earth and was presumed dead. In Sonic Heroes, Rouge discovers Shadow in a stasis tube located in the deepest part of one of Dr. Eggman's bases. As she activates the capsule, E-123 Omega begins to attack the newly awakened Shadow, believing him to be an android. Shadow discovers that he has amnesia and cannot remember anything before his release (aside from his name and brief images of Maria Robotnik's death). He joins forces with Rouge and the robot E-123 Omega to form Team Dark and find Eggman. It is later revealed that Eggman had made robotic android versions of Shadow, and the question is raised as to whether or not Shadow himself is one of these androids. Ultimately, when Metal Sonic transformed into Metal Madness, Shadow worked with everyone else to help defeat it. Shadow is last seen with Omega and the defeated Metal Sonic. In Sonic Battle, Rouge saves Shadow while they are investigating Dr. Eggman's secret base and takes him back to her home (Shadow seems to now remember Maria and his fight against the Final Hazard so it is possible this game takes place after Shadow the Hedgehog). Shadow talks about how the people of Earth must destroy him and Emerl if they ever want peace, still believing that he is a weapon. It is revealed, however, that he ultimately has the heart and soul of Maria Robotnik, implying he could not be the enemy of humanity. In one of Gerald Robotnik's journal entries, he mentions that "Project Shadow" was put on hold because of Project Gizoid. In Shadow the Hedgehog, Shadow is revealed to be the dual creation of the alien overlord Black Doom and Professor Gerald Robotnik. Gerald could not finish the project on his own, so he contacted the Black Comet and used Black Doom's blood, and presumably his DNA to create Shadow. Shadow eventually gathers all the Chaos Emeralds and confronts Devil Doom (Black Doom's powered up form) as Super Shadow. He then destroys the Black Comet with the Eclipse Cannon. In the end, he puts the past behind him and chooses to move forward. Also, in the last battle of the game, Eggman confesses to Shadow that one of his robots found and saved him after the incident in Sonic Adventure 2, meaning he is the real Shadow and not a Shadow Android as was previously believed. In the 2006 Sonic the Hedgehog game, Shadow is a playable character and has his own storyline which weaves with those of Sonic and new character Silver the Hedgehog. In this role, Shadow encounters the new villain Mephiles the Dark when the Scepter of Darkness falls and shatters.(Mephiles was sealed inside the Scepter of Darkness and was released when it shatters.) Shadow is sent to the future and is revealed to have become the enemy of mankind, due to their fear of his power. It is also been revealed that Shadow is sealed away by the reprogrammed Omega sometime during this event. Eventually, Mephiles gains hold of the seven Chaos Emeralds and merges with Iblis, becoming Solaris. Shadow turns into Super Shadow and joins with Super Silver and Super Sonic to defeat Solaris. The events of the game are then reset and do not occur, possibly leaving his future open. Shadow appears in Sonic Rivals as a playable character alongside Sonic, Knuckles, Silver, and Metal Sonic. Summoned to a strange land by Dr. Eggman via a cryptic transmission asking for his aid, Shadow is able to successfully locate Dr. Eggman, but once he mentions the cryptic message, Dr. Eggman denies it. The mystery continues to unfold itself as Rouge warns him of an impending danger and upon stumbling across a secret about Dr. Eggman, her transmission is cut off short. Shadow continues his quest to uncover the truth about Dr. Eggman. Shadow also appears on four of the 150 collectible cards in the game. Shadow is an unlockable character in the game Sonic Riders after beating the Hero Story Mode. He is a Speed type character, with his default Gear: Darkness, which he uses to skate like his default shoes. His Level 1 Attack is "Energy Ball", which temporally stuns a nearby opponent, the Level 2 attack is "Back Kick" which makes an opponent lose his/her balance temporally, and the Level 3 attack is "Chaos Control" which freezes a nearby opponent, so he can easily pass them. He now appears in the sequel Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity as a speed character, and his default gear is called Black Shot. Shadow also appeared in the game Sonic and the Secret Rings, being the first unlockable character for the Party Mode (next ones being Cream, Silver and Blaze) by obtaining 30 Fire Souls. Shadow also appears in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games as a speed character along with Sonic, Yoshi and Princess Daisy. Shadow appears in the sequel to Sonic Rivals, Sonic Rivals 2. He is confronted by Metal Sonic and Eggman (through a speaker in Metal Sonic) tells him that he needs help. Before he can ask questions he and Metal Sonic find Espio and Silver. Curious as to why Silver has returned to the present he begins to follow Silver while Metal Sonic follows Espio. Eventually Shadow forgets to ask the Doctor why he is helping him and just continues to work with Metal Sonic. Eventually Shadow discovers that Eggman Nega is trying to release the Ifrit with the seven Chaos Emeralds. He enters the Chaos Inferno Zone to press the switch to seal the Ifrit in its own dimension, but he and Metal Sonic are trapped in the process. Metal Sonic tears himself open to reveal a Chaos Emerald, and Shadow Chaos Controls them back to their own dimension. Shadow is an assist trophy in Super Smash Bros Brawl, found after Sonic becomes a playable character. Shadow activates Chaos Control when he is used, slowing down the user's opponents. Shadow is a playable character in Sega Superstars Tennis. Shadow appears in Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood. He is searching for Omega, who disappeared looking for Eggman's robots. At first, he only joins Sonic's team to help find Omega, but if he finds out that Omega was attacked by the Nocturnus, he joins the party to help defeat them. In combat, Shadow deals medium attack power and has medium armor and is as quick as Sonic, allowing him three attacks per round. Shadow appears in Sonic and the Black Knight as Sir Lancelot. He is the most loyal to the King at first and said to be the most skilled of the Knights of the Round Table. After Sonic faces him in a duel and wins (he is the first Knight to be fought and the second Boss in the game), he takes his sword. Despite being Shadow's parallel, Lancelot still shows the ability to use Chaos Control with his swordplay. This is most prominent in the optional refight with Lancelot, where he uses Chaos Blast, Chaos Control, and Chaos Spear. Shadow has been confirmed to be appearing in the upcoming Mario And Sonic At The Olympic Winter Games and in Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing. Transformations Shadow the Hedgehog's transformations. Category:Antiheroes Category:Males Category:Sonic the Hedgehog characters Category:Video game characters Category:Super Smash Bros. characters Category:Incredibly powerful fighters